Strong growth in the number of exhibitors for 2022/ VISION of great international significance
The Messe Stuttgart team is drawing on the positive sentiment that has followed last year’s successful trade fair. VISION, the world’s leading trade fair for machine vision, will open its doors at Messe Stuttgart from 4 to 6 October 2022.
Positive development for the industry
“The machine vision industry is seeing dynamic development while continuing to increase in importance. As a result, the outlook for VISION 2022 is promising and expectations are high. We are delighted to welcome industry players to Stuttgart for the 30th iteration of the world’s leading trade fair for machine vision. VISION 2022 is the first Messe Stuttgart event to return to particular international significance following the restrictions put in place as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic,” says Roland Bleinroth, President of Messe Stuttgart.
Anne Wendel of the VDMA Machine Vision sector group of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association, underlines the development of the machine vision industry: “The robotics and automation industry and, in particular, the industrial machine vision industry, are experiencing full order books. According to a VDMA market survey, sales in the European machine vision industry increased by 17 per cent in 2021. The prognoses for 2022 remain largely favourable despite lower expectations due to supply chain disruptions. The VDMA predicts that the German machine vision industry will grow by 5 per cent and see sales of €3.2 billion. The robotics and automation industry on the whole is expected to see growth of 6 per cent at €14.4 billion. This allows us to be optimistic for the upcoming VISION 2022 trade fair.”
Growing number of exhibitors
At VISION, visitors from all over the world will spend three days meeting with start-ups and key players. Exchange and knowledge transfer will be in the spotlight at the event. So far, more than 300 companies – already more than last year – have signed up for VISION 2022. “The current level of registrations and reservations shows that the industry is enjoying great popularity. Overall, we expect the number of exhibitors to grow by around 25 per cent on last year by October,” says Florian Niethammer, Head of Trade Fairs & Events at Messe Stuttgart.
New companies bring a breath of fresh air
As well as national and international key players, Messe Stuttgart has the privilege of welcoming many new players this year. Around 17 per cent of the companies which have signed up will be attending VISION for the first time in 2022. Included in this number is Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG. “After a long time without in-person trade fairs, we are looking forward to lively discussion with machine vision experts,” says Bernd Stöber, Senior Vision Product Manager at Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG, adding that “Our problem-solving approach using PC-based control systems already covers a wide range of applications. “We are using new and innovative products and functionalities to once more significantly expand our platform’s area of application. We want to present this to the market. What event could be better suited to this purpose than VISION, the world’s leading trade fair for machine vision?”
The rising number of exhibitors is also reflected in the amount of space used for the fair. VISION will once again take place in the Paul Horn Hall (Hall 10) and the Alfred Kärcher Hall (Hall 8), but this time, the two venues will have around one quarter more capacity than in 2021: every single one of their 25,000 square metres will be dedicated to machine vision.
Large number of international exhibitors
The great international significance of the world’s leading trade fair VISION has already been demonstrated by the large proportion of international exhibitors: the percentage of exhibitors from abroad for the 2022 edition is currently at 56 per cent, which follows an almost 50/50 ratio of national to international exhibitors in 2021. As a result, the world’s leading trade fair for machine vision is returning to a structure that we are familiar with. This year, exhibitors from the US are especially heavily represented, followed by Japan, China, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The positive mood of the exhibitors is clear to see. This is also the case with Vieworks, a South Korean camera supplier. Janice Lee, Sales Manager at Vieworks, said: “We have participated in VISION for several years as an exhibitor. Due to Covid-19, we were unable to attend the trade fair in 2021. This makes us all the more delighted to be there once again in 2022, to meet our customers in-person at VISION, showcase our products and technologies and learn about the latest market trends. The significance of this trade fair for machine vision in Stuttgart is unmatched in an international scale.”
Machine vision as a trending topic
Machine vision is on the increase. New trends are taking the field by storm and artificial intelligence has become indispensable. This is also the case at VISION, the world’s leading trade fair. In light of the technical developments, Florian Niethammer is convinced that VISION offers the right solutions for countless client industries: “It will be exciting to see the opportunities that hyperspectral imaging offers, where the trending topics of AI and deep learning are headed, and which of the new developments in embedded vision and 3D will be featured at VISION 2022.”
Components and systems for different industries
The exhibitors will showcase the opportunities that machine vision offers for various industries – including the medical and pharmaceuticals industry, the food and beverage industry, transport technology and infrastructure, retail and retail trade, the automotive and components supply industry, mechanical engineering and plant construction, and logistics. Powerful image processing systems and components will be presented at VISION. The Swiss company Compar will also be represented among the system providers present in 2022. For Stefan Basig, Marketing & Sales Manager at Compar, the world’s leading trade fair has particular significance: “VISION, the trade fair for machine vision, lives up to its name. It encompasses three days dedicated to trends in technology, product highlights and knowledge transfer. We have been using the platform for several years to enhance our knowledge of machine vision. As a systems integrator, it is particularly important for us to present potential customers with sophisticated and cost-efficient systems and support them in selecting efficient solutions from a broad range of products. In doing so, it is the systems themselves, not words, which do the persuading. Ultimately, VISION is all about seeing and experiencing everything for yourself.”